Shrinking cities and larger regions could become the trend due to changes in work patterns following the pandemic. The shifting geography of work from cities to smaller urban areas, and the e-commerce boom, are two factors spurring regional growth.

Preferences among employees for remote working at least part of the week, and the potential this opens for workers to look further afield for hybrid roles, is redrawing the geographical boundaries associated with work and labour markets.

South East Growth

As a Kent-based direct mail and mail fulfilment company, we are keeping an eye on these new trends. From our perspective, it’s looking good for the South East. Although we serve customers nationwide, we are a regional business and like to keep ahead of patterns that might affect the companies we work with, to ensure we can best help our customers. 

According to EY’s UK Regional Economic Forecast, the South East’s economy will see the country’s second fastest annual improvement in economic performance over the next three years. Employment in the region is forecast to rise 1.1% per year to 2025, while the South East is one of four regions in the country expected to see its working-age population grow over the same period.

Regional expansion is producing more diverse, economic areas which benefit both businesses and workers by increasing productivity, customer bases and employment opportunities. Standards of living rise as well as income flow, house sales, and revenue to local government, with improvements in local public services and amenities.

Employment in the South East is forecast to rise 1.1% per year to 2025. Regional expansion is producing more diverse, economic areas which benefit both businesses and workers by increasing productivity, customer bases and employment opportunities.

EY UK Regional Economic Forecast, January 2022

Regional Business Benefits

Companies and the communities they’re embedded in often have a cooperative relationship. Business benefits from local word-of-mouth advertising and contributes to community building. Business owners can exert pressure on local politicians on issues which affect their region. This interest is returned by a loyal, local customer base which can shore up a business in times of economic downturn.

Business also benefits from regional links. In the South East, using an established regional business like KPM Group for your mailings and deliveries, for example, will cut costs in both monetary and environmental terms.

Direct Mail Boosts Digital

Our print management and mail fulfilment services offer you the best advice and support for your direct mail campaigns. Using current technology and innovations, along with 20 years of experience in the business, direct mail is a form of highly personalised advertising which reaches and engages people. Plus, it has the unique ability to make digital advertising work better by driving customers to interact digitally.

KPM Group works with you to look at campaign targeting, audience, data, creative and design requirements using a step-by-step process:

1. What Are Your Marketing Goals?

Clear objectives help you to optimise your creative and message. So, it’s important to define what you want to achieve from your campaign at the start. Is it to increase sales or site traffic, target prospects, or improve customer loyalty? Realistic goals are agreed based on your current marketing metrics.

2. Who’s Your Target Audience?

Essential insights for the success of your campaign include:

• Who is your target customer and what do you know about them?
• What are their needs?
• When is the best time to contact them?
• Why would they want to hear from you?

Your analytics will give a clear idea of what has worked well before. We’ll work from your data to maximise potential for reaching and engaging your audience.

Read more > How to target your direct mail campaign

3. Tailor Your Message

We work with your goal in Step 1, to identify the action you want your customer to take and tailor your marketing message. For example, your message may need to include more information if you want to drive customers to make a purchase rather than simply increase traffic to your site.

Read more > How to create successful direct mail

4. Integrate with Digital

Your direct mail and digital campaigns need to interact to achieve the best results. Direct mail can use creative ways to drive traffic to your website and engage customers who can’t be reached by email. Figures show:

• People spend 30% longer on digital ads after being targeted with direct mail
• 41% of adults in the UK searched for a company online after receiving mail

Clever use of direct mail’s longer format can test messaging, product positioning, and brand look and feel. Where online rapid-click environments struggle, direct mail findings can be utilised across digital, mobile and TV strategies.

Direct mail is a form of highly personalised advertising which reaches and engages people. It has the unique ability to make digital advertising work better by driving customers to interact digitally.

The Drum

What to Measure

Through monitoring analytics, campaign data and integrated technology, we’ll measure how well your campaign is performing. We can also compare this to customer insights, enabling us to tweak an ongoing project and/or optimise the next send.

• Response Rates
  Firstly, we trial using a limited send and budget to find out how conversions there are and the value of those. This gives us insight to build into the rest of your campaign.
• A/B Testing
  We recommend A/B testing to establish what engages your customers across format, message tone and design.
• ROI
  We identify what proportion of your sales or conversions are attributed to your mail campaign. Keeping a close eye on your ROI is key for planning future campaigns.

Supporting your business in the South East

During our 20 years of experience, we’ve established KPM Group as a well-known direct mail and mailing house in the region. Based in Kent, we are a key supplier to London and the City, but also support businesses across the South East, including Essex, Surrey, West Sussex, and East Sussex.

Regional business links strengthen the South East by making companies more competitive, cutting your costs (better for business), and reducing the carbon emissions associated with long-distance transportation (better for us all).

So, how can we help you?

Get in touch to see how we can help with your data, print management, and postage requirements.

Book a Free Postage Audit

Postage can account for about half the cost of a typical mailing campaign, so it’s important to analyse your mailing costs regularly. Are you are getting the best postage rates and delivery times?

• Understand your options
• Gain insight into small changes that could make a big difference to your budget
• Review recommendations for improvement and next steps

CONTACT US to book your free postage audit – simply fill in the form and select ‘Request a Free Postage Audit’.